The Sham
by Better Known As Anonymous
Summary: Love isn't easy, especially for two emotionally stunted yokai. So what do you do when your life, loved ones, and sanity all depend on it? Fake it, of course! SessxOC. Formerly known as Of Sunflowers and Deadly Perfection.


_AN: So I'm back again with a new story. Sort of. This idea actually came from a story I wrote in middle school. Obviously, the original version was ridiculous, but the premise was awesome so I'm reusing it. If you are waiting for me to update **Modern Sensibilities**, you might have to wait a bit. I have to get back in the groove for that one. In the mean time, enjoy this!_

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><p>He was never one to heed warnings. As long as he can remember, he had always forged his own path. Even as a child, there was no threatening him. Beatings? Oh, please. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, much to his father's chagrin. It was not malicious, or intended at all. It was just that he liked to be in control and refused to hand it over to anyone, even his own father. Despite this, the beatings still came even though (in his opinion), they were only a way for his father to save face in front of the court.<p>

"Sometimes you have to show them who's boss," he heard his father tell one of the council members. "Can't have them think that they are in charge now, can we?"

At the time, he said nothing, and merely rolled his eyes. He knew that the beatings would change nothing, they both did. He might have not won that battle, but at the end of the day, he always won the war.

It was that type of mentality that helped him survive to adulthood, and well into his ascension to the throne. Now, however, the threats became more dire. Now they threatened his life, saying that if he did not _, he would be killed. A few made claims to his land, and stated that if he did not relinquish them, every single village and port would be torched. But as he did as child, he did not take these to heart. Instead, he found the bastards who sent them out, called their bluff, and promptly killed them. He also made sure to decimate their troops, and send their heads back to their families just for good measure.

"Sometimes you have to show them who is boss," he said to Jaken after one such battle, holding an enemy lord's head by the hair. "Can't have them think that they are in charge, now can we?"

Yes, thus was the life of Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands. A life of battle, blood, and most abundantly, freedom. . . And the occasional meeting with a few courtesans. But mostly battle, blood, and freedom.

Until today.

Today, the powerful, cut-throat, all around badass yokai named Sesshomaru was strapped to a chair in a dungeon, all the while being slowly turned human by some second rate monk wannabe. Can you believe it? Neither can he. And, for the first time in his long life, he wished he had taken a threat to heart.

Now, I can imagine, kind reader, the look of confusion on your face. After all, this is Sesshomaru we are talking about here. How could he, of all beings, possibly get himself into this type of mess? Well, reader it all began one faithful spring day, with a toad and his letter.

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><p><em><strong>~One year earlier~<strong>_

"Reread that letter."

It was a beautiful day outside. The birds were chirping, and the sun was shining brilliantly in the azure sky. A breeze blew by, carrying the sent of wild jasmine and lemongrass with it. And where was Jaken instead of outside enjoying the wonderful weather?

In Lord Sesshomaru's office, waiting to get his ass handed back to him.

"Oh, milord, it's not important! Now, let's get back to border control," he said, trying to change the subject.

"May I humbly suggest putting another check point to the south? There have been plenty of bandits lately and the rice fields have been their main target. Rice is one of the southern villages' main exports, so it may be fiscally responsible to protect the…"

"I said, reread that letter."

Jaken's eye twitched. He did not want to reread that letter. He did not want to look at it, or hold it, or even smell it. In fact, he could make a pretty long list of things he rather be doing right now than rereading what might prove to be his death warrant. Like sleeping, or flower arranging. Letting Rin cook her "Fishy Surprise". Hell, even jumping head first into an active volcano sounds pretty good right about now…

"Jaken, I am waiting."

Jaken gulped, and made a silent prayer to the gods that his death will be swift and painless. Then, taking a deep breath, he began to read.

"Dear Lord Sesshomaru, the Fluffybutt Puppy,

Why hello, son! Long time no see. This is your handsome, intelligent, all around fantastic uncle Saidai, Head of the Western Council. I have written to inform you that there seems to be a discrepancy in regards to your title. Now do not be alarmed, it has nothing to do with your performance. You are a phenomenal leader, besides the killing people for no reason. And your continuous absences from your duties (though I heard you managed to stay in one place for a month- Nice!). And the occasional sleeping with females that you really should not be sleeping with, LIKE THE EASTERN LORD'S MATE. Yes, besides these things you are doing just great.

But, you are unmated, and according to the Inu Taiyokai Handbook, Section 1 subsection 363 paragraph 4 line 12, you are supposed to be mated by your 100h year of ruling. You have been in power for 250. Now, as a council, we have overlooked this, since you were so busy doing… Whatever it was that you were doing, but we cannot ignore this any longer. Thus, here is our decree:

Lord Sesshomaru Lord Regent of the Western Lands, Son of Lord Touga, the Inu no Taisho, and Lady Ekisho, Ruler of the Four Skies, are here by ordered to find a mate by this time next year. Failure to due so will result in dire consequences, including but not limited to: The revocation of your title as Lord Regent, and the installment of your younger brother Inuyasha; the collection of all assets; disembowelment; water boarding; purple nurples; wet willies; and **DEATH**.

I know you very well, Sesshomaru, and I know that you usually brush these types of things off. I implore you, no, beg you not to do so this time. This is not a threat, this is a **promise**. So please, take this seriously.

Can't Wait for the Wedding Invitation,

Saidai"

Jaken shook in his tiny boots violently. Sesshomaru was quiet, and merely stared at his retainer. Jaken felt as though he was going to pass out. His master's aura, which was tolerable on a normal day, was currently stifling. Beads of sweat rolled down his neck, and he could feel the adrenaline pump through his veins, begging him to run to safety.

'Oh Kami, just say something already,' Jaken thought anxiously. If he was to die, he wanted it to be quick. But Sesshomaru remained silent. Then, suddenly, after what seemed like an eternity, something terrifying happened.

Sesshomaru laughed.

It started as a snort. Then a couple of snickers, then full blown laughs. Soon, he was in a full episode of hysterics. He banged on his desk, his cheeks flushed, and, no,…it could not be! Are those tears in his eyes? Jaken had not seen his lord laugh since, well ever, and the sight nearly made him soil his pants. He became greener than usual, as each chuckle and chortle rang in his head like death tolls. He was going to die, he was sure of it. He was going to die, and it was going to be slow, horrible, and just gruesome. Why? Why oh why did he take this job? His happy ass should have stayed in the swamp where he belonged, not following some proud, stoic sociopath bent on world domination. He should have figured it was a bad idea, what with the guy killing people for blocking the road, the abuse, the extreme passive-aggression.

'Damn it!' He cursed silently. Hindsight was a bitch.

A few minutes later, Sesshomaru finally composed himself enough to speak. However, Jaken, in an act of self-preservation, had already ran away and hidden himself in the koi pond. Sesshomaru found him beneath a lily pad, and quickly snatched him up from the water. Terrified, the toad closed his eyes and began to beg for mercy.

"Oh no Lord Sesshomaru, I'm sorry! Please don't cut me up into tiny pieces, fry me, then turn me into a stew for Ah-Un! Please I beg you please!"

Sesshomaru simply raised an eyebrow. "I have no intention of killing you Jaken."

Jaken opened his eyes. "You don't?"

"Do not make me repeat myself."

Jaken gazed at his lord bewildered. "But didn't that letter anger you milord? They did assume that they could order you around."

"It is of no consequence."

"But, milord, they sounded serious this time."

Sesshomaru, now bored with their exchange, dropped Jaken suddenly and began to walk away. Jaken, unprepared, fell face first into the grass. He quickly picked himself up, and began to chase after his master.

"Milord, aren't you the least bit troubled though? The Western Council can act on their own accord, and have enough power to carry out their threats. Shouldn't we be worried?"

Sesshomaru glanced back and gave a sharp, deadly look to his retainer. "As I stated before, it is of no consequence." Sesshomaru then continued his short trip back to the manor. Jaken, realizing that there is no point in arguing the matter, fell silent, and followed his lord without another word.

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><p>The Letter Incident, as it was so fondly referred to as, was an isolated one. Months passed, and soon the New Year rang in without a peep from the council. Sesshomaru continued about his daily business, and even managed to acquire some territories in Siam. His lands were peaceful, and there had been a large harvest this year, making his domain the most prosperous in all Japan. Overall, life was good for the taiyokai. So good, in fact, he decided to treat himself to a day off and visit one of the very few people he actually enjoyed being around.<p>

_**~3 hours earlier~**_

"Lord Sesshomaru!" An over enthusiastic Rin ran over to him full speed. At the age of 15, she had become quite lovely. Her once unruly hair hung smooth and freely behind her. She had also grown taller, her face slimmed, and had started to gain a womanly figure. Despite this, her eyes never lost their glittering optimism, and her cheeks still dimpled when she smiled. Yes, little Rin had become quite the beauty, and everyone had noticed.

It terrified Sesshomaru to the core.

Being the yokai he was though, he did not let it show. He merely waited for his ward to reach him, though he did make sure to throw a few hard looks to the men who watched a little too long.

Rin reached him, slightly out of breath, but did not hold back her customary onslaught of questions.

"How are you milord? Is everything okay? How is Jaken? How is Ah-Un? Did you bring me a present? Did you bring your niece and nephew a present? Are you going to see them? They miss you a lot! Will you milord? Are you going to fight InuYasha when you get there, too? Are you? I hope not, it always makes me sad when…"

Sesshomaru gave a slow blink. He had long ago gave up trying to follow Rin's conversations. She asked questions a mile a minute and never waited long enough for the answer. She also went on wild tangents and changed topics readily. Most found this irritating, but oddly enough, he found it annoyingly endearing, which is why he allowed it.

"Lord Sesshomaru? Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru, are you listening?"

Said yokai was snapped out of his revere. Not hearing a word his young ward said, he merely tilted his head in a way that was wildly reminiscent of a confused dog.

"You weren't, were you? That isn't very nice milord. Sometimes I wonder why I bother…"

Sesshomaru let Rin continue on her half-hearted tirade as they walked around. He "Hn'd" when appropriate as Rin gave up trying to scold the taiyokai for his short attention span, and started talking about her life in the village. It wasn't until Rin mentioned Kohaku did his ears perk up.

"What about Kohaku?" He asked as calmly as possible.

"Oh," Rin began not realizing what she was doing, "He came to visit me the other day!"

"Did he now?"

"Yeah! He invited me to a picnic as soon as he got settled in. We went by the river not to far from here. We talked for hours! You should see him milord. He grew up quite a bit from the last time you saw him. He's taller, filled out some. He even has a beard! I don't like it very much, though. It scratches my face when we k…"

Realizing she was about to divulge information that surely would get Kohaku killed, Rin shut her mouth with an audible snap. Sesshomaru, unfortunately caught her near slip-up, and narrowed his eyes.

"When you and Kohaku do what Rin?"

Rin gulped. "Nothing."

"His beard scratching your face does not sound like 'nothing' to me Rin. What happened at the river?"

"Uh," Rin sputtered, "Well, uh, you see…Wait! Is that Kagome calling me?"

"Rin I don't hear anyone calling y…"

"My goodness it is! My oh my Lord Sesshomaru, I'd sure love to stay and talk, but Kagome sounds pretty urgent, so I'll just leave now. Bye milord!"

With that, Rin ran away as quickly as her small feet would carry her. Sesshomaru, flabbergasted, stared at her retreating back.

"Rin! The village is in the other direction!" He called after her. She kept running though, and Sesshomaru decided to let her. She'd answer to him soon enough.

At a loss at what to do, Sesshomaru pondered if he should make his way down to the village at the foot of the hill. He honestly did not want to be around humans, but he could not allow Rin to think that this conversation was over. Besides, he had sweets for InuYasha's children, and he'd be damned if he missed an opportunity to watch the wretched bastard be run to the ground by his hyperactive children. Making up his mind, Sesshomaru made his way down the hill. He was halfway down when he heard the tiny "snap" of a branch in the distance.

Sesshomaru stopped dead in his tracks and put his senses at full attention. To a human, or some lesser yokai, he was just being paranoid. It's a forest after all, the snapping of twigs is normal. But Sesshomaru knew better. He was an apex predator and he had an aura so strong that it could still a usually active forest in seconds. Even the trees seem petrified to move in his presence, as their leaves refused to flutter in the breeze. So the idea of some woodland creature moving about is out of the question. He was then left with two possibilities: 1) an idiot oni or some other lesser species with no sense of self-preservation was hunting, or 2) something out there was purposely looking for him. And with Rin in the area, neither scenario was pleasant. Not taking any chances, Sesshomaru followed the scent trail Rin left behind only moments ago. Much to his surprise, it ran right through the forest and ended at the end of the river furthest away from the village.

Since when was Rin so fast? He thought confused. He carefully scanned the area. There was nothing but rocks and a few plants that grew at the water's edge. A heavy, dreadful feeling settled in his chest. Frantically, he scanned up and down the river bank. Then, about 50 yards away he noticed a slight figure huddled over the water. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Rin checking a fish net. The inu yokai let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. Ensuring that his footsteps made the telltale "crunch" against the pebbles, Sesshomaru walked over to her. Rin, after years of cautious living in the wilderness, picked up on them quickly and looked up. Seeing, as it was her guardian, she smiled up at him.

Then, as quickly as it came, it fell, and Rin's sparkling brown eyes widened in terror. It took only a few seconds to happen, and a few second for the sharp dog lord to process it, but in the world of yokai, a few seconds is too long. Before he could react, Sesshomaru was falling. Rin's muffled scream was the last thing he heard before his world went black.

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><p><em><strong>~5 minutes before~<strong>_

Musk. Musk and dust and incense. Those were the first things he noticed when his consciousness trickled through. He damned them, for they muddled what usually is his impeccable sense of smell. Next was the feeling of being bound to something, a chair maybe? He wasn't too concerned with the details. In these types of situations, details are the last things you should be concerned about. Finally, he noticed the tingling sensation on his arm. Actually, it was more of a burn… an intense burn. It hurt.

'Well, shit. It actually hurts.'

Whether it was actually the pain or the shock that he actually felt such a thing, Sesshomaru was not sure, but his eyes flew open anyway. The room was dark and hazy, and for some reason it was taking him longer to adjust to his surroundings. Everything was a blur. He could barely make out the figure standing before him, whom he assumed was his kidnapper. Suddenly, a voice cut through the darkness.

"Well, would you look at that. Our dear puppy lord has finally decided to come to."

A round of chuckles rang at the nickname, but Sesshomaru did not concern himself with that. The only thing that mattered was that voice. He knew that voice. He knew it well. It was then his memory finally caught up with this sensory data. And, it was then he realized that he might be in some serious trouble.

His eyes finally came into focus, and keeping his cool mask in place, looked upon his abductor. With a cool smirk, and a flat tone, Sesshomaru greeted him.

"Well, hello to you too, Uncle Saidai."

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><p><em>AN: Well, there you go, the first chapter. I have a playlist set up for it, and a special playlist for Sesshomaru linked on profile. If you're interested you should check it out. Oh, and if you want to, review. I'm not gonna try and bribe you guys, or try and guilt you into it. It's just nice to hear your thoughts and suggestions.<em>

_Until next time,_

_Better Known As Anonymous._


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